Pin retaining means



IOO

March 18, 1952,

R. B. COTTRELL PIN RETAINING MEANS Filed April 5, 1948 `\\"4 ROBERT B. COTT'RELL BY l MMM,

ATTORNEY the "right thereoff;

Patented Mar. 18, 1952 fhffumrefo sTAre-s lenteur s589181' nobert. cotti-algemene, 111., assigner to Amer,

ican Steel Foundries, hicg. Ill., al 432x119??- tion 0i New JerssY apprenne ,sus s, 194s, sereine. m40

1 Claim.

- 1 This invention relates to fastening rneans and 'gmore particularly to a type adapted fojruse in "conjunction with an element such asia pin -or stud. v My device' is particularly useful for railway service, although not restricted thereto,y where parts are subjected to continuous severe vibrations. My device 4may be used as, for l*exam-ple,

"n a pin connecting ,Several lbrake Eismann,

" Heretofore such fastenings employedr'aljpin with a thread, a nut and a cotter key which is -expensive and not fully tight'or utilized a washer sleeved on the pin and retained thereon byla Cotter key. This latter assembly is loosefitting and under vibration is' extremely noisy 'and `'clue to the movement of the parts during such vibration has a relatively short life.

One object of the Vinvention is lto vprovide i simple, eil'icient fastening means whichare easy V*to apply and assemble in tight engagement with an associated element of the type described.

A different object of the invention is to design a fastening means which may be applied Aor removed Without the use of vany special tools. A further object of the linvention is to design l a fastening v'which will lock 'positively antlk vnot work loose. Y

andthus insure tightness in the device.

These andfotner objects of the invention win I become more apparent -from -the specification 'and the drawings wherein:

^ #Figure 1 is a fragmentary vplan vview/of one Lembodiment 'of vthe invention with ythesec'uring means removed; l

Figure -2 is a side 'elevational view partly in Isection substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure y1.; *Figure 3 is an end View of Figure 2 takenff-rom Figures 4 and =5 are top and innerfsidefviews respectively, of the Wedge member.;

Figures 6 and 7 are top and .innerside views,

respectively of the `taper key;

Figure 8 is va View comparable to 'Figure l,

f villustrating `a modification of the invention; and

Figure -9 is a side elevational view partly -in vsection on the line v9 9 of Figure .8.

'Describing the invention in detail and referringvrst to Figures 1 .to 7,'inclusive, the 'structure illustrated therein .comprises a lfastener element in the -form of a. -pin 2 :ha-ving a head-:4 and :a

vcylindrical shank 6'.- `The shank has a reduced vcylindrical portion 8 at the extremity remote from the head Vand at the inner end of the reduced portion 8 presents. a shoulder I0..

A retainer element in the form of ailange washer I2 is mounted on the portion 8., said flange vwasher l2 comprising ra sleeve l I4 sur.- -rounding the portion 8 and .in 'abutment vat its linner end with 'thej ..beforeementioned shoulder l0 along ya surface ei'ctending 'transversely Licf said pin 2. The sleeve I4 is .formed at its. inner end with an out-turned lannular flange IB of a die vameter greater thanthat of the shank, the y:flange IS 1a'ndh'ead 4 cooperating with each other .izo maintain fthe pin '-in'ass'embled relation with 'parts ftnot shown). The inner end of portion 8 is preferably providedwith an kannular groove Il to prevent binding between the washer and vportion `8 and thus insure. at face abutment :between the inner edge of the 'sleeve I4 and shoulder I0. Y V

The retainer element I2 is secured lto portion 8 of shank 6 .andi is urged tightly against shoulder I0 1by means.` of a fastener assembly or securing gmeans vextending through partially registered transverse Aopenings I8 and 20 in p0rtion 8 andsleeve I4, respectively.

"It will be noted that the `openings 20 .in the sleeve vare in alignment with each other and circular in form; however, they may be elliptical or of lany' other fsuitable, though lpreferably cnrved, configuration, as ill -be readily l'understood by those lskilled in fart. The `opening. lilr in portion `8 is, of cours of the .fsame contourne openingsl 20 land is aligned or slightly offset inwardlyor inthe direction toward .the shoulder IIJ with respect to openings 20, 20 in theas.-

"sembled position vofthe parts, as `clearly shown in the drawings. r v

-Th'e fastener `assembly comprises Aa wedge .ele- .ment o r -gib 22 havirijg ya -body portion 24 extending vthrough the `openings "I8 and 20. The body portion 24 has an outer surface 26 of a nform complementary to the contour of the openings, ASaid Vsmrface '26bearing 'at spaced points jas, at 28, v28 against .the Aportions of sleeve "I4, defining theinboard sides of openings 20, 2ll bgu1t being spaced as at 30 from the 'nn'er side-:of opening. 2.0 The .wedge element has a' S3025@ retainer lug 32 at one end extending normal to the l.plane of the body portion 24 and overlap- -pin'g sleeve I 4 in vthe direction Vtoward rflange flrand ,seating agamst the outer lsurface lof essere u as at, a4. n te .regent/seen that 3 -the lug 32 holds the wedge member in position in the openings. fi The fastener assembly also includes a taper v kfey or wedge 36 having a shank portion 38 extnding through openings I8 and 20, said shank `portion 38 having an outer surface 40 in coinlementary engagement as at 42 with portion 8 vin the opening therein at the side of said fpening adjacent the outer end of portion 8. The body portion 24 of the wedge element 22 I,and the shank portion 38 of key 36 are provided their inner sides with diagonal reversely iar- 'ranged complemental wedge faces 44 and 46. ployed to hold the washer on the shank and is vfespectively, engaging each other :as at .49..

In assembling the structure, thefiange washer 8 of the pin 2, as shown I2 is positioned on portion inneredge of the sleeve the drawings, with the u"I4 of the washer in abutmentv with shoulder" I0 and with the openings I8 and 20, partially registered. The Wedge member body portion 24 i {serted into these openings, thick end ijrst, `and fxnoved through .the openings until the ylug-,32. which is: at the narrow end of the bodyrportion, VJseats, as heretofore explained, againsttheusleeve 51.414 `The narrow end of the taper key is inserted 'into the openings from the samel end as the wedge gelement -with the wedge surface 46 thereofffen- 'rg'aging the surface 44 of the'wedgejelementgZZ. 'The key and wedge element arepositioned sothat he surfaces 44 and .46 extend transversely of-the g :shank 6..and thus portion 8 thereof. The outer :fsurfacei of thekey engages portion 6 aeg-'def' `scribed and is spaced as at 56, 50 from the margins `of openings 20, 20. The wedge element, last-pre- A,.viousl-ystated, engages the sleeve at 28, 28 and is spaced as at 30 from that side ofopening, 26

jfwhich is adjacent the inner end of portion 8.

To seat the inner end of washer I2 tightly against ffthe shoulder IIJ to prevent rattling between-fthe L washer and pin, there being a loose fitbetween sleeve I4 and portion 8 due to manufacturing Avtolerances; the key' is hammered on head 48 'l-.provided-cn the thick end of the key and which in .the formxof 'a vflange extending over lug 1""131)4 on wedge element 22.` Such hammering -f 'causes the Wedge and key to advance toward .each

z; other and the wedge to bear tightly against the f gwasher at the points stated (the wedge beingpre- *1 vented from falling out of position by lug; ..32 and urges the inner end of the sleeve into tight t frictional engagement with the shoulder I0. The

.wedge and key are also in tight engagementwith .feach other and the key tightly engages portifon 8.

Thereafter. to insure against accidental separa- ".tion of the key and wedge element, the narrow l' .end of the key may be bent as shown in phantom .i lines in Figure 2.

The assembly requires no special tool and effects a tight connection between the washer and the The wedge cannot move out of the openings iiecause of lug 32 and the taper of the wedge gsurface, and the key cannot fall out of position .because of the taper and the bent narrow extremity. Furthermore, inasmuch as the outer surfaces of the key and wedge element are curved and in complementary engagement with the curved margins of the openings, the key and .wedge element are prevented from'turningin the openings under vibration or sliding against each other on their engaging faces to work themselves loose.

Referring now to Figures 8 and 9, illustrating ja modification of the invention, the pin |08 comprises'ahead |32 and a shank |84. A retainer element is sleeved on the end of the shank remote .the washer..

A a similarly contoured transverse opening II6 in the adjacent end of the shank.

A fastener assembly or securing means is emt*washer into tight -frictional engagement with the end of the shank.

The only difference between these two embodiments is .that in one the shoulder is formed o n the shankvand in the other the shoulder is on It will be appreciated that the arrangement des-:ribedis of simple design, is easy to apply and affords a tight connection between the various parts. It will be understood that in the first described modification the shank 6 of the pin may be any selected diameter not less than the diameter of portion' nor greater than the diameter of flange I6. However, in the second embodiment the pin is of uniform diameter and of much simpler design than that illustrated #the rst embodiment.

Itris to be understood thatI do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiments of the device shown which are merely by way of illustration and not limitation as Variousand other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the `v`spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim.

In a fastening assembly, the combination of a vpin having a shank with a headat one end, 'a

retaining element mounted on the other end of the shank comprising a sleevejsurrounding the shank, an inturned ange on oneend of the sleeve disposed outboardly of the otheren'd of the shank and in abutment with said othe end thereof. an

said shank and sleeve having elliptical openings extending transversely of the shank and arranged with their major axes extending longitudinally of the shank, the openings in the sleeve being offset outboardly from the opening in the shank, and means securing said retainer element to the shank and urging said shankand retainer element in opposite directions to engage saidjinturned flange with said other end of the shank, said means comprising a wedge key and a gib extending through said openings in the sleeve and shank and arranged side by side axially of the shank, said gib being disposed inboardly of said' key with respect to said other end of said shank. said key and gib being tapered lengthwise thereof in reverse directions and engaging each other at adjacent sides along substantially fiat complementarywedge surfaces extending diagonally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shank, a head on said gib at its smaller end, said head bearing against the exterior of said sleeve and being entirely disposed radially inwardly of said outturned flange with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shank, said key and gib being elliptical in cross section with the major cross sectional axes thereof extending longitudinally of the shank, said key having an uninterrupted elliptical surface extending from end to end thereof and bearing against a complementary surface of the shank defining the outboard margin of its opening, and said gib having an uninterrupted elliptical surface extending from said head to the larger end of said gib and bearing against complementary surfaces of the sleeve defining the inboard margins of its openings, the

smaller end of said key being bendable tointer lock the key against accidental disassemblythere of from said openings.

' ROBERT B. COTTRELL.

Ville of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 849,952 Willis Apr. 9, 1907 1,023,985 Beaulieu Apr. 23, 1912 1,114,525 Rider Oct. 20, 1914 1,152,749 Mullaney Sept. 7, 1915 1,737,091 Northey Nov. 26, 1929 2,172,976 Johnson Sept. 12, 1939 

